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Friday, 4 November 2016

Bill Cosby Wins In Pennsylvania Court; Defamation Lawsuit Dismissed

A federal judge in Pennsylvania sided with the disgraced comedian and granted
Cosby's motion to dismiss a defamation lawsuit, according to court
records.

Renita Hill, one of the more than 50 women who have publicly accused Cosby of
assault, filed the civil suit in October alleging that the actor and his lawyer
defamed Hill in the media, court records show.

Judge Arthur J. Schwab dismissed the three claims against Cosby, ruling that
the statements "do not support a claim for defamation as defined by
Pennsylvania law," according to the ruling.

Hill's claims of defamation cite three instances in which Cosby and his team
said the accusers needed to be fact-checked.

In November 2014, following Hill's public accusation of rape, Cosby and his
lawyer told The

That same day, Cosby declined to respond to the "innuendos" being
made about him to Florida Today, stating that "people should
fact-check."

Shortly afterward, the comedian's wife, Camille Cosby, wrote a letter to The
Washington Post claiming that news organizations failed to "vet" her
husband's accusers.

In the ruling Thursday, Schwab found no grounds for defamation, writing that
the multiple claims were "pure opinion" and a "far cry from
labeling [Hill] (and the other women who have made similar public assertions)
as liars or extortionists."

"None of the facts alleged by [Hill] supported her claims for defamation,
false light, or intentional infliction of emotional distress under Pennsylvania
law," Cosby's lawyers said in a statement after the ruling. "It is
our hope that courts in other jurisdictions with similar matters will respond
in like manner."

Hill's lawyer said the decision will be appealed.

"We are disappointed, but remain committed to seeking justice in this
matter. We strongly disagree with the judge's reasoning that Cosby's statements
are constitutionally protected opinions," George Kontos, Renita Hill's
lawyer, told CNN.

Cosby is in the middle of a litany of lawsuits, ranging from defamation to
sexual assault, with several women who have publicly accused the actor of
drugging and sexual assault.

In December, a Pennsylvania district attorney charged the comedian with
"aggravated indecent assault" for the 2004 alleged sexual attack on
Andrea Constand.
Cosby's lawyers say that case is "unjustified."